Since the fighting broke out between Hamas and Fatah thousands of Palestinians have fled to Egypt.  The number of Palestinian refugees in Egypt ranges from 4,000 to 6,000.  Egyptian President Mubarak stated that the refugees will remain in Egypt until the fighting subsides between the two factions.  Therefore, he has shut down Egypt’s border to the Gaza Strip, the Rafah Crossing.  He has also shut down air travel from Egyptian Airports to the Gaza trip, which has stranded passengers.

        Consequently, 100 Palestinians have been trapped in the Arish Ariport for about 20 days.  The Palestinians arrived at Arish from various countries. They had planned on stopping in Arish only to make their connecting flight to the Gaza Strip.  Therefore, they did not obtain visas to enter Egypt, because they did not think they would get stuck in the country.  These Palestinians have been forced into a small section of the airport, and have not been allowed to leave for any reason.  The Palestinians have tried to break free, but the police forcefully restrained the crowd, injuring three people.  One of the men told the Middle Eastern Times, “We are sleeping on the floor, we all share one toilet, [and] there is nowhere to take a bath or shower.”   Reportedly, they have survived on water and salt, and currently, have gone on on hunger strike. 

        The Egyptians’ rationale for shutting down the border travel is to protect the Palestinians.  The Egyptian government’s fear is that if the Palestinians enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing, they may be shot by Israelis or Hamas soldiers misidentifying them as smugglers.  The Egyptians have kept the border crossings to Israel open, but many Palestinians are hesitant to cross into Israel.  The Palestinians fear that the Israeli’s will cause them trouble or even arrest them.  Therefore, the Palestinians are stuck in Egypt for an indefinite period of time.  However, the Egyptians are trying to address the problem by setting up free health care facilities to treat the Palestinian refugees.   This help may be too little because 28 Palestinians have already died with health related issues, which could be compounded with thousands of Palestinians crowding the border towns seeking to entrance into the Gaza Strip. 

Daily Star Egypt. Palestinians Trapped in Arish Airport go on Hunger Strike. 9 July 2007.
Middle East News. Palestinians Trapped for Weeks in Egypt. 17 Jul 2007.
News24.com. Palestinians Trapped. 17 July 2007.
People’s Daily Online. Egypt to provide free treatment for stranded Palestinian patients at Rafah crossing. 16 July 2007.

Following Hamas’s takeover of Gaza, Palestinian president, Abbas, declared a state of emergency.  He dismissed the then prime minister, Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh and appointed Salam Fayyad as the emergency prime minister.  On July 13, Fayyad resigned as prime minister but then was re-appointed by Abbas as the interim government’s prime minister.  In addition, Abbas appointed three more ministers and decreed that this new government will remain in power until the next legislative or presidential elections.

According to the Palestinian Authority’s Basic Law, an emergency government may rule for 30 days without legislative approval.  However, as a result of the in-fighting between Fatah and Hamas and Israel’s arrest of Hamas lawmakers, the Palestinian parliament is dysfunctional and was incapable of giving approval.  Fatah and Abbas’s attempts to convene a parliamentary meeting to approve the new government have or will be boycotted by Hamas.  In addition, Hamas’s attempts to convene a parliamentary meeting to declare the new government unconstitutional will be boycotted by Fatah.  In either case, the parliament will lack the quorum necessary to make an official vote.

Palestinian lawmakers who drafted the Basic Law question the constitutionality of Abbas’s actions.  While most agree that Abbas had the right to dismiss Haniyeh as prime minister, many argue that Abbas does not have the necessary authority to appoint an entire cabinet without parliament approval nor the right to suspend parts of the constitution by decree.  Abbas seems to recognize these constitutional pitfalls but states that he will do what is necessary to keep the government functioning in Palestine.

The international community has shown support for Abbas in recent weeks.  Many western governments began sending aid to Abbas and the impoverished Palestinians.  Israel has released some of the withheld tax revenue that it collects for the Palestinian Authority and is set to release 250 Palestinian detainees. 

For more information please see:

Ha’aretz:  “Fatah to boycott parliament session convened by Hamas”  15 July 2007. 

The Media Line:  “‘Abbas to prevent Hamas’ participation in future elections”  15 July 2007. 

The Independent:  “Abbas to form new caretakers government”  14 July 2007. 

Reuters:  “Hamas rejects Abbas’s new government”  14 July 2007. 

Voice of America:  “Palestinian President Abbas rules out talks with Hamas”  14 July 2007. 

Washington Post:  “Abbas rejigs Palestinian government”  13 July 2007. 

Reuters:  “Framers of Palestinian constitution challenge Abbas”  8 July 2007.

Rizana Nafeek is scheduled to be beheaded on July 16, 2007.  She is a 19 year Sri Lankan maid who migrated to Saudi Arabia seeking a better life through employment.  She was barely 17 when she immigrated to be a nanny in 2005, although her forged identification documents stated she was 23.  Eighteen days after she arrived in the country, the four month infant she babysat began choking. Nafeek tried to massage and stroke the child, while she screamed frantically to the child’s mom for help.  Despite all her efforts, the child still died.

Following the incident the child’s family pressed charges against the Nafeek claiming that she strangled the child to death.   The police arrested the girl and interrogated her without procuring a translator for her.  After much coercion the girl signed a confession admitting to strangling the infant to death.  However, when she was given access to a translator at a later time, through the translator she denied strangling the baby and tried to explain what had actually happened.  She also refused to sign a second confession to causing the child’s death.  However, when trying the case the court only contemplated the girl’s first confession to decide her verdict.  She was given no legal representation by either Saudi Arabia or Sri Lanka and was condemned to death by decapitation by the court. 

Nafeek is one of the many young South Asian girls who have migrated to the Middle East seeking employment.   These migrants have benefited their home nation greatly by sending money to family.  For example, there are about 400,000 Sri Lankans working in Saudi Arabia alone.  (UPI Asia Online.)   These workers ought to be protected in court, especially in capital punishment cases.  They need to be protected either by their home nation, or the home nation needs to pressure the sponsoring nation to represent these workers.  Otherwise, it will continue to create more situations where undeserving hired workers will die, and live in fear.

UPI Asia Online.  Commentary: Teenager’s beheading tests Saudi’s sharia law. 13 July 2007.

Des Moines Register. Basu: Tried without a lawyer, teen about to be beheaded. 13 July 2007.

Arab News. Initial Legal Fees Paid for Filing Sri Lankan Maid Appeal. 13 July 2007.

Arab News.  Lankans Appeal to Victim’s Father. 14 July 2007.

International Herald Tribune. Sri Lankan housemaid on death row highlights a surge in Saudi beheadings. 13 July 2007.

On July 5, local Iranian authorities executed Jafa Kiana near the town of Takestan, Qazvin province.  10 years ago, the Criminal Court in Takistan found Kiana, along with Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, guilty of adultery and sentenced them to death by stoning.  On June 20, a day before the pair was scheduled to be stoned, Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi Shahrudi, Iran’s top judicial official stayed the execution.  Despite the stay, local officials carried out the execution.

Now, international organizations, like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are working to protect Ebrahimi from the same fate.  In December 2002, Shahrudi ordered a ban on stoning.  Despite the ban, the practice still continues.  Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch argue that until Iran officially removes stoning as a punishment, local authorities will continue to carry out these executions.

Iran is experiencing international pressure for their position on capital punishment.  Not only is Iran facing criticism for implementing stoning as a method of execution, but they are also facing criticism for sentencing adulterers to death.  In the face of this criticism, Iran plans to execute twenty sex offenders by hanging.  Officials refuse to bow to outside pressure on the issue of capital punishment and will continue to uphold the country’s religious beliefs and legal system.

For more information please see:
Guardian :  “Iran to defy west by executing sex offenders”  11 July 2007. 

Human Rights Watch:  “Iran:  Prevent stoning of condemned mother”  11 July 2007. 

Amnesty International UK:  “Iran: Woman faces stoning for adultery”  10 July 2007. 

BBC:  “Iran ‘adulterer’ stoned to death” 10 July 2007. 

Amnesty International:  “Save Iranian woman from execution by stoning”  9 2007. 

Human Rights Watch:  “Iran:  Stop executions by stoning slated for June 21”  20 June 2007.

The ceasefire between the Yemen government and the Believing Youth has become increasingly fragile, disturbing Sa’ada residents.

The Sa’ada region has been a bloody battleground for many years.  The Yemen Government is fighting to stop the Believing Youth.  The purpose of the Believing Youth is to overthrow the government and replace it with a Zaidi imamate.  The group is opposed to Yemen’s close relationships with the United States and Israel. Beside self-preservation and overthrowing the government, the group’s purposes are unclear.

The ceasefire was enacted on June 16, 2007 to help the Sa’ada region recover from the warfare.  The purpose of the agreement was to enable the government to give the people in the region the necessary healthcare, food, and agricultural supplies for the Sa’ada people’s survival.  In exchange for the treatment of the people of Sa’ada, the rebels agreed to turn over their weapons to the Yemenite Government.

The continued instability combined with the rebels increasing reluctance to turn over their weapons to the Yemenite government has created a fragile ceasefire.  However, gunfire has been continually exchanged in the Ghamer district between the rebels and the pro-government tribesmen.  The Believing Youth have been hesitant to agree to the initial ceasefire agreement.  They have added additional conditions, as well as, demanding that the government fulfills its obligations before they hand over their weapons.  The government sees this demand as impossible and has tried to negotiate a different agreement.

Furthermore, the rebels have accused the government of launching a media campaign against them, and abducting the rebel soldiers.  These claims are possibly legitimate since the Yemenite government has shut down the competing media outlets to the official news, and has arrested the editor of the leading online newspaper which supported the Believing Youth.  With a strong hold on the media, the government has the opportunity to operate without the necessary scrutiny of the general public.

The ceasefire is necessary for the people in the war-torn region, because the agreement infuses the area with the government aid necessary to rebuild the community.  The battle has taken its toll on the people, leaving killing many civilians, destroying the region’s agriculture, and spreading diseases.  Not only have civilians been killed, but it is difficult for those who are remaining to get jobs and survive.  Recently, UNICEF reported that the children at the regional camps suffer from anemia and leg swelling.  If these problems are not addressed soon, it will give the people in the Sa’ada region a greater reason to overthrow the government, because they will not have anything left to lose. 

Yemen Times. Sa’ada residents fear renewal of clashes. 8 July 2007.
Reuters. Yemen ceasefire strained over arms handover. 12 July 2007.
IRIN. Yemen:Despite Ban on arms, activists warn of increasing violence. 8 July 2007.